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H. H. A. BECKER. DAMPER MECHANISM. lCA-TION FILED 050. I

1,372,333. Patented-Mann, 1921..

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Zz ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

HUGO H. A. BECKER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBTO SILL STOVE WORKS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DAMPER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22; 1921.

Application filed December 14, 1916. Serial No. 136,868.

To all whom it may concern 4; with the damper in its rearward position.

Be it known that'I, HUGO H. A. Bnonnn, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Damper Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My invention has for its underlying purpose to afford a damper mechanism for stoves that prevents a back draft from striking a fire, obviating the usual bad effects of a back draft or down draft either upon a coal fire or gaseous fuel fire, at the, same time without interfering with the normal up draft and proper combustion. A. further object of my invention is to afford a simple structure which can be manufactured at a reasonable cost and can be readily applied to any type of stove. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described,

the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a stove equipped with gas burners and showing the main flue in side elevation, with my invention incorporated therein; V

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of my invention, similar to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3is a front elevation of the damper mechanism; r

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line l -d of Fig. .3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on theline 5 of Fig. 4; l

Fig. 6 is a plan view;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, with the damper in its rearward position, and

Fig. 8 is asectional view similar to Fig.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The invention is of general application in connection with stoves, all of which are subject to back or down drafts, and is of particular advantage in connection with gas stoves or combination coal and gas stoves. In this class of stoves, the chief disadvantage lies in the danger of their operation,

result. In the present improvement, I contemplate the elimination of this objection to gas stoves by making it possible to so divert a back draft that the flame cannot be ex tinguislied, although the normal or updraft is at the same time not seriously interfered with. I accomplish this by providing an opening in the flue or chimney that leads to the stove, and arranging a damper in the flue which can be adjusted in such relation to the opening referred to that it will act to deflect any back draft or downward cur rents of air outwardly through said opening instead of permitting them to continue on downwardly to the fire. The products of combustion are carriedupwardly around the damper by the normal updraft so that proper combustion is had at all times.

There are various ways in which this gen eral purpose may be accomplished, and in the structure which I have devised, and disclosed in this application for illustrative purposes, 1 designates the main portion or body of a stove which is provided with a ga burner 2 arranged in a suitable chamher that communicates with the main flue At a point somewhat above the stove, the flue is provided with an opening 4, at the upper edge of which there is a downwardly within the fiueis a damperxthat is movable,'

and preferably mounted to swing about a horlzontal axis being supported on. trun nions 6 and carrying a handle or operating portion 7. The damper includes legs 8 that carry the trunnions 6 and a body portion 9, which serves to entirely close the opening 4t when the damper is in the position shown in Fig. l. lVhen thus arranged, the lower edge ofthc body portionengages against a shoulder 10, and the upper edge against a shoulder 11, while the side edges rest against the ribs 13 that are formed at opposite portions of the flue. VVhenthe damper is in this forward positioma continuous and uninterrupted passage through the fine is provided that is desirable at times, as for in stance when starting a coal fire. Under such conditions, the chimney is cold, and a per- I the flue fat that portion and making it necessary that any currents of air or products of combustion in pas singfrom the lower portion ofthe flue to the upper go around the lower edge of the body portion of the damper, that is towardthe front of the flue.

The damper is. held in either of its extreme positions by .its own weight, and when in its open position, shown in 8, the body portion. serves as a deflector for any downward currents or back draft, which cannot get throughatthe back of the fine and are forced to the front and outwardly through the 'opening 4. In this manner, the back draft is prevented from striking the fire, and uninterrupted combustion of gas at the burner is assured. Then the damper is in its open positio n'shown in Fig. 8, the lower f edge of the body portion is spaced from the wall of-the flue so that the opening 4 is in "communication with both the upper and lower parts of the fine. I By this means, any

-upward currents from thefire are carried past the lower edge'of the body portion of the damper, or past the front portion of the damper, as shown. in Fig.8, and on up- Y wardly intofthe upper part of the fine by 'reachingia fire in the stove, and this is ac the normal updraft, and this action is as- Sistedby the deflecting portion 5, which serves to catch any. products of combustion or currents of air that might have atendency to passthrough' the opening 4,'and deflect them back intothe upper-part of the flue. Under ordinary conditions, the nor- I trial draft is sufficient to carry any smoke or products of combustion upwardly into the flue, past the damper at its forward portion, although if any such currents should esca pe through the opening 4 it would have no serious effect. The primary purpose of the structure is to prevent a back draft from coniplished effectively byreason of the fact that the upper portion of the damper en- 1 j gages the back wall of the flue entirely closin g the flue at the back, and thus compelling the downward currents to be deflected by the upper side of the bodyportion toward theopening 4 through which they are carried and discharged. I

ilVhileIthestructure is .of particular advantage'in connection with gas stoves or combination co al and gas stoves, it will be apparent that the damper mechanism may be used with any stove, and in such relation possesses considerable advantage as for instance, in assisting combustion under conditions when back drafts sometimes continue for hours at a time, dependent upon peculiar atmospheric conditions. In using the terms gas, gas burner and gas stove throughout this application and claims, I refer to and mean to include any gaseous or liquid fuel, as coming within the purview of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a stove flue having a lateral opening therein to the atmosphere, of a damper in the flue normally closing said opening but movable inwardly to a position in which it completely closes the back of the flue opposite to the opening but leaves the front of the flue unobstructed to permit the products of combustion from the stove to pass around the forward edge of the damper and past the opening.

2. The combination with a stove llue having a lateral opening therein to the atmos- 7 phcre, of a damper in the flue normally closing said opening but movable inwardly to an upwardly inclined position in which it completely closes the back of the flue and deflects downward currents through the opening but leaves the front of the flue unobstructed to permit the products of combustion from the stove to pass around the forward edge of the damper and past the opening.

3. The combination with a line having a lateral opening therein to the atmosphere and a hood extending outwardly at the top of the opening, of a damper in the flue non mally closing said opening but movable inwardly to an upwardly inclined position in which it completely closes the back of the flue opposite to the opening and deflects downward currents through the opening but leaves the front of the flue unobstructed to permit the products of combustion from the stove to pass around the forward edge of the damper and past the opening.

4. The combination with a stove flue having a lateral opening therein to the atmosphere of a damper in the'flue normally closing said opening and having a pivot arranged opposite the lower edge of the latter upon which pivot the damper is movable inwardly to a position in which it completely closes the back of the flue opposite to the opening but leaves the front of the flue unobstructed to permit the products of combustion from the stove to pass around the forward edge of the damper and past the opening, the movement of the lower edge of the damper being inwardly of the flue away from the opening.

HUGO H. A. BECKER. 

